The Sino-Japanese Exhibition of Painting and Calligraphy opened in Beijing Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan.
The exhibition features 220 works, selected from over 5,000 submissions by amateurs, which express the common aspiration of the two peoples for peace and friendship.
Ling Qing, head of the Chinese Society for People's Friendship Studies, said at the opening ceremony that China and Japan are neighbors separated only by a narrow strip of water and their cultural exchanges date back to ancient times.
Ling hoped the two sides will work together for better bilateral relations.
The exhibition, which will end Nov. 4, is jointly sponsored by the Chinese Society for People's Friendship Studies and the 99-member Japan-China Friendship Committee.
(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2002)